Tim Easton, Vienna Teng, Spinnerette, Cooper Boone, Alaska In Winter and
Danielia Cotton Among Those Honored By Music Fans

July 8, 2010 • Music Resource Group (MRG) and The Independent Music Awards (The IMAs) the international program for independent bands and fans announced the results of The 9th IMA Vox Pop poll, the annual fan-determined awards.

Music fans from around the world voted online for their favorite self-released and independent label artists culled from the 250 IMA nominees. Tim Easton, Vienna Teng, Spinnerette, Cooper Boone, Alaska In Winter and Danielia Cotton are among the diverse Vox Pop winners in more than 50 Album, Song, Music Video and Design categories.

More than 40 percent of the “people’s voice” winners differed from those named in January by the artist and industry judging panel that included Tom Waits, Bettye LaVette, Ricky Skaggs, Suzanne Vega, Aimee Mann, Pete Wentz, David Garrett, Zooey Deschanel, M. Ward, Anthony DeCurtis and Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman among many other music luminaries.

“The Independent Music Awards celebrate artists who follow their own muse and the true music fans who support them,” said The IMA Executive Director, Martin Folkman. “The Vox Pop award is one of the many ways the program motivates fans to discover and support an incredible roster of talent. All IMA honorees receive marketing and sales support, Vox Pop winners have the added satisfaction that their art inspired fans to act.”

Expanding upon The IMAs’ array of tools that actively promote artists and releases, a voting widget was created for The 9th IMA nominees and fans to share on their websites and social media pages culminating in many new voters and several judging upsets. “Nominees who posted the widget earned more fan votes improving their standing in the poll by more than 50%,” said Folkman.

Adding to an already broad spectrum of music and design categories, honors added to the 10th program include: Holiday Song, Tribute Album, Re-issue Album and EP releases.

Now in its 10th year, The Independent Music Awards is a prestigious international program that connects top ranked artists to new audiences and revenue opportunities. The IMAs yearlong promotions distribution and performance opportunities place winners and nominees in front of millions of Fans, Programmers, Talent Buyers, Film, TV & Gaming Music Supervisors, Media and other gatekeepers.